News

Quick Hits: Cannabis news in brief

Published on July 3, 2026 by Pat Bulmer

Photo: Contributed

Cannabis news in brief: Cannabis Council of Canada calls it quits; First harvest at 2nd greenhouse; Ontario Cannabis Store workers ratify deal; Cannabis sales up in Nova Scotia; Quebec company to use breathalyzer; Cronos snaps up its own shares; Illicit products seized at border; Herbal Dispatch adds 7 products; Akanda makes good with Nasdaq

Cannabis lobby group shuts down

No wonder they’ve been so quiet lately.

A cannabis industry lobbying group is officially going silent. The Cannabis Council of Canada is suspending operations.

“This decision reflects the significant headwinds facing Canada’s licensed cannabis sector,” C3, as it liked to call itself, said in a news release. “The Board will now take time to consider the council’s future and the role it can continue to play,” the release said.

President Paul McCarthy has stepped down.

The oz. had a lengthy interview with McCarthy in early 2025 about hurdles facing the industry and the group’s efforts to get those addressed by Ottawa.

A few months earlier, McCarthy had slammed the federal government for inaction, despite the government offering a sliver of hope at the time that it might address the issue of different excise stamps being required for every province.

Inaction won the day — government personnel changed and nothing happened with excise stamps.

C3’s last press release in November called out the feds again for neglecting the cannabis industry in the latest budget.

First harvest at new greenhouse

Village Farms is accelerating plans to complete upgrades of its second greenhouse in Delta, BC.

The 1.1 million square-foot Delta 2 facility recently recorded its first harvest in half of the new site— and cultivation is now underway in the second half with an expected harvest date in August.

The company has fast-tracked its timeline of planned technology upgrades and will complete lighting and other technological upgrades in the D2 expansion during the fourth quarter this year, a news release said.

“These upgrades were previously expected to be installed in 2027 and importantly will not result in incremental capital expenditures as the equipment was already purchased earlier this year,” said CEO Michael DeGiglio in the release. “The acceleration of technology upgrades will enable us to meet increasing demand for higher quality flower from our domestic and international partners.

“We expect the Delta 2 expansion will ramp to its full production capacity of 40 metric tonnes of dried, trimmed flower in the third quarter of next year.”

New contract for OCS workers

Workers at Ontario Cannabis Stores have ratified a new contract.

The three-year collective agreement, which was endorsed by 84% of voters in a ratification vote, includes a 7% pay increase (2.75% in 2025, 2.25% in 2026, and 2% in 2027); retroactive pay, overtime after 36.25 hours a week instead of 44; and two more paid leave days, the OPSEU union said.

After negotiations had proceeded slowly, workers took a strike vote on May 13 and tried to raise the heat on the employer, the union release said. “This activism created the necessary conditions for a fair renewal agreement to be negotiated,” the union said.

Nova Scotia cannabis sales up

Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. sold $138.8 million worth of cannabis in the fiscal year ending March 31.

Cannabis sales were up 9.3% ($11.8 million) from the previous year, the corporation said in a year-end report.

The average shopper bought $39.50 worth of cannabis per trip, up 5% from the previous year.

“The average price per gram of cannabis decreased 2.0% to $5.83, helping maintain competitiveness with the illicit market,” the report said.

Expanding cannabis access was one of the corporation’s priorities in the last year: “We added cannabis to 33 existing corporate stores that previously sold beverage alcohol only, bringing the total number of NSLC cannabis retail locations to 84 provincewide.”

Cannabis grown in Nova Scotia accounted for 28.7% of sales or $39.9 million. That was up 10.2% from the previous year.

Quebec company buys breathalyzer

A Quebec industrial company plans to test its employees for cannabis use by using a made-in-Vancouver breathalyzer.

Cannabix Technologies’ Marijuana Breath Test system will be used by a company that uses a lot of heavy machinery.

The Cannabix system is designed to detect recent cannabis use. Montreal based Alco Prevention Canada arranged the sale.

“As organizations increasingly seek objective, non-invasive solutions to detect recent cannabis use. The Cannabix Marijuana Breath Test represents a significant advancement in workplace and public safety,” said Alco’s General Manager Stephane Maurais in a news release.

Employee drug testing is suitable, on a limited basis, in some work sectors.

“Industrial workplaces, particularly in sectors such as cement production, construction materials and manufacturing, present inherently higher safety risks. Employers in these sectors must balance evolving cannabis policies with strict safety, compliance, and liability requirements,” said the Cannabix release.

“Legacy urine and oral fluid tests can detect cannabis exposure days or weeks after use, making it difficult to provide results that meaningfully correlates with recent use. This gap creates operational, legal, and reputational risks … when test results are challenged by employers, employees, unions or legal counsel,” the release said.

Cronos buying its own shares

Cronos Group aims to buy up to $50 million worth of its own shares to take them off the market.

The 18,712,918 common shares, represent approximately 5.02% of Cronos’ 373 million shares as at June 1, the company said in a news release.

Cronos can buy 53,968 shares a day under TSX rules, the release said.

Celadon Financial Group has been appointed as the company’s agent to repurchase the shares.

Cronos is a Toronto-based cannabis company. Its brands include Spinach, Peace Naturals and Lord Jones.

Share repurchases are often done to increase share value, according to Investopedia.

“A company might buy back its shares to boost the value of its stock and to improve its financial statements,” Investopedia says. “Companies tend to repurchase shares when they have cash on hand and the stock market is on an upswing. The stock’s price often rises as a result of a buyback.”

Cannabis stopped at the border

Five people have been charged after trying to sneak a big batch of cannabis and cannabis products past a border crossing.

Thirty-two kilograms of unstamped cannabis plus 1,700 vape cartridges, edibles, cash and cellphones were seized April 25 at the Cornwall, Ont., crossing.

“Five Bangali nationals, currently residing in the Toronto area and in Canada on valid work permits,” were charged, an RCMP news release said.

More recently, police in Quebec arrested four people following raids on five residences and three vehicles, the Surete du Quebec said in a news release.

Police seized 280 cannabis plants, 90 kilograms of cannabis, growing equipment, hash, cash and long guns.

More than 40 police officers were involved in the raids.

The Canada Border Services Agency posted on X that cannabis set to be shipped to the United Kingdom was seized. The post linked to a U.K. Home Office tweet that stated 12 tonnes of cannabis were seized in Southampton. The drugs, worth an estimated £139 million, were found in two containers. Three people were arrested, the Home Office said.

Seven new products for Herbal Dispatch

BC-based Herbal Dispatch has snagged seven new product listings with BC’s cannabis distributor, the company announced in a June update.

“Over the past two months, Herbal Dispatch secured seven new product listings with the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch, including three permanent core listings and four limited-time offerings, significantly expanding the company’s retail footprint within one of Canada’s most competitive cannabis markets,” the update said.

Herbal Dispatch is attempting to expand from a cannabis e-tailer to a cannabis everything.

“The company now operates a growing portfolio of proprietary brands spanning dried flower, pre-rolls, infused pre-rolls, vapes, concentrates, and edibles, while leveraging an extensive network of licensed cannabis suppliers and production partners across Canada,” the update said.

The new BC listings are:

• Happy Hour Pure Cake Skunk 2x1g Pre-Rolls, produced in collaboration with Coast Mountain Cannabis
• Happy Hour Glacier Berry All-in-One Vape Pen 1g
• Happy Hour Pink Voltage All-in-One Vape Pen 1g

Limited-time offerings include collaborations with Coast Mountain Cannabis, Seastone Farm, Magi Cannabis, Common Roots Extracts, and TWG Micro Cultivation.

“The company continues to expand its portfolio of proprietary cannabis brands, which now includes more than 40 different SKUs (labels) across multiple product categories,” the update said.

Akanda receives Nasdaq approval

Akanda Corp, is back in the Nasdaq stock market’s good books.

The Toronto-based company, which grows cannabis in Canada and builds fibre-optic networks in Latin America, received a non-compliance letter in May over filing issues.

The company was required to submit a plan by July 19 outlining steps it planned to take to regain compliance. Akanda beat that deadline by more than a month.

“On June 10, 2026, it received written notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC confirming that the company has regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), which requires listed companies to timely file all required periodic financial reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,” an Akanda news release explained without missing a detail.